This application is not related to any pending United States or international patent application.
This invention relates to a lawn mower rack for supporting a lawn mower in an elevated position to improve the convenience of repair and maintenance. Particularly, the invention herein provides a rack onto which a lawn mower can be rolled and subsequently the rack operates in a way to first lift one end of the lawn mower followed by lifting a second end of the lawn mower so that only about one-half of the weight of the lawn mower must be raised at one time. The lawn mower, when in a raised position, provides a convenient way for a user to drain oil from the motor engine and to replace or repair the mower blades. The device is particularly useful to aid a user in removing lawn mower blades so that they can sharpened and replaced in a safe and convenient manner and without the necessity of tilting the lawn mower from the horizontal so that oil from the crank case or fuel from the gas tank is not spilled.
Others have provided devices for supporting lawn mowers in an elevated position such as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,804. This patent teaches the concept of a base with a parallelogram pivoted structure. The lawn mower can be rolled on the structure and thereafter the structure pivoted with respect to the base so that the lawn mower is elevationally positioned to enable a worker to have access to the underneath side of the mower. One difficulty with the type of lawn mower service lift revealed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,804 is so that the total weight of the lawn mower is elevated at one time. The present invention provides an improved rack for a lawn mower wherein the user is required to lift only one-half of the weight of the mower at one time so as to reduce by fifty percent the maximum lift that is required to move a lawn mower from a lower to an upper elevated position for servicing.
For additional background information relating to lift devices particularly related to small engine equipment, reference may be had to the following previously issued U.S. Patents:
The invention herein relates to a lawn mower rack formed of a structural base for resting on a support surface with first and second spaced apart rails supported by the base and adapted to receive wheels of a lawn mower thereon. A first lifter is used for elevationally supporting a rearward portion of the rails and a second lifter for elevationally supporting forward portions of the rails. In this way, a lawn mower can be elevated into position for servicing wherein the user is required to lift only about one-half the weight of the mower at any time.
The lawn mower rack includes a rectangular structural base having opposed paralleled longitudinal frame members, a forward end and a rearward end. First and second spaced apart parallel rails are supported to the base. The rails are configured to receive the wheels of a lawn mower thereon.
A lifting frame is pivotally supported at the structural base rearward end for elevationally raising a rearward portion of the rails and thereby raising a rearward portion of a lawn mower positioned on the rails. A lifter is supported at the forward end of the base for elevationally raising a forward portion of the rails and thereby a forward portion of a lawn mower positioned on it.
A more complete understanding of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the claims, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.